NHTSA Complaint #10521229 — 2002 JEEP LIBERTY

MY 2002 JEEP LIBERTY SPORT HAD TO HAVE THE RADIATOR REPLACED2 YEARS AGO (2011) DUE TO SLUDGE IN THE SYSTEM, WHICH WAS FINE BECAUSE IT WAS ALREADY ALMOST 10 YEARS OLD. RECENTLY (JUNE 2013) I SMELLED COOLANT AND BY THE TIME I GOT IT TO THE MECHANIC, IT HAD OVERHEATED JUST ONCE, FROM THE WATER PUMP NOT WORKING. SO THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE WATER PUMP, AND AFTER THAT IT NEVER WORKED THE SAME. THE ENGINE WAS ROUGH, DIDN'T HAVE A SMOOTH IDLE, AND THE NEXT DAY, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD A FRIEND CHECK IT OUT ON A WEEKEND WHEN THE LIGHT STAYED ON AND STARTED FLASHING, AND THE ENGINE FELT/SOUNDED EVEN ROUGHER. THERE WERE MULTIPLE ERROR SIGNALS, LATER DIAGNOSED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS CRACKED/BLOWN, THERE WARE COOLANT FUMES FROM THE ENGINE, AND 3 OF THE CYLINDERS WERE "WARPED". ESTIMATED REPAIR COST: $2000-3000 AND A WEEK'S WORTH OF LABOR... PROVIDING THEY DIDN'T FIND OTHER DAMAGE WHEN THEY GOT THE ENGINE OUT. READING OTHER REPORTS MAKE ME DISAPPOINTED WITH CHRYSLER AND CONFIDENT THAT I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE MINE REPAIRED NOR BUY A NEW JEEP (THOUGH I HAD PREVIOUSLY LOVED! MY JEEP). *TR